Compost Me

A Belgian activist group seeks to legalise the composting of human bodies as an ecological alternative to burial, a method not yet legal in Belgium or any other EU country.

The idea of composting bodies stresses the spiritual and psychological aspects of the process. In fact, composting lets one see death as part of the natural cycle of life. The bereaved find comfort in the fact that their deceased loved ones are still present in their lives, for example in the form of a tree that emerges from the compost.

Sensitively shot, the film tracks activists as they experiment with pig carcasses, looking to other countries for inspiration and addressing the ethical issues, legal limits and practical challenges associated with new technologies.